Corner light socket for refrigerator



March 21, 1961 T. A. VALLEE CORNER LIGHT SOCKET FOR REFRIGERATOR FiledSept. 4, 1958 "ZMwfi- 77202725544. 5/]?! CORNER LIGHT SOCKET FORREFRIGERATOR Thomas A. Vallee, Ocouomowoc, Wis, assignor to Unilectric,Inc., Milwaukee, Win, a corporation of WIS- cousin Filed Sept. 4, 1958,Ser- No. 759,024

2 Claims. (Cl. 33-59) This invention relates to sockets for mounting alight bulb by which the interior of an electric refrigerator or the likeis illuminated, and refers more particularly to a socket of the typewhich is adapted to be mounted on an apertured panel that provides theinner wall surface of a refrigerator cabinet or the like.

The socket for a light bulb that illuminates the interior of an electricrefrigerator or deep freezer cabinet usually comprises a cup-shapedreceptacle or shell, adapted to receive the base of a light bulb, moldedinto a body of resilient insulating material. Heretofore it has beencustomary to mount such a socket in a refrigerator or similar cabinet byhaving a part of the resilient body extend through a closely fittinghole in an aperture in one of the sheet metal panels defining theinterior surface of the cabinet. Conventionally the resilient body ofthe socket had an integral rubber flange or lip that overlay themarginal edge portion of the panel, adjacent to the aperture, andprovided a seal around the aperture by which passage of moisturetherethrough was prevented. One or more other flanges on the body, atthe opposite side of the panel, opposed said one flange and cooperatedtherewith in retaining the body against displacement out of theaperture. Since the portion of the socket body which extended throughthe aperture in the panel had a substantial girth, the aperture had tobe relatively large, and at the same time the sealing lip or flange onthe socket was narrow in comparison to the size of the aperture, andconsequently there could not always be assursince that the flange or lipwould provide a good seal around the aperture. Moreover, the socket wascustomarily installed by squeezing it through the aperture, takingadvantage of the resilient flexibility of the body and of the integralflanges thereon; and because of the substantial size of the body portionthat passed through the aperture, installation of such sockets without atool was not always as easy as might be desired.

By contrast, it is an object of this invention to provide a socket ofthe character described having a resiliently flexible body with integralsecurement means thereon which projects through a relatively small,closely fitting hole in a wall panel on which the socket is mounted, andwherein a substantial area of body surface flatwise overlies a marginaledge portion of the panel, around the hole therein, to provide a sealwhich prevents the passage of moisture through the aperture.

Another and very important object of this invention resides in theprovision of a refrigerator light socket of the character describedwhich fits snugly into an interior corner of a refrigerator or freezercabinet or the like and thus occupies space that would ordinarily bewasted, and which moreover has integral securement means that engage inboth of the wall panels that define the corner in which the socket ismounted to thus provide an unusually secure but readily installedmounting for the socket.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of arefrigerator light socket of the character described having a pair ofrelatively small protuberant securement members thereon, each integralwith the resiliently flexible body of the socket, which securementmembers may be very readily engaged in apertures in adjacent cornerforming panel portions at the interior of a refrigerator cabinet or thelike, and which securement members, moreover, have electrical conductorsor terminals projecting from their ends.

It is also an object of this invention to take advantage of theconstruction of terminals for refrigerator light sockets shown in myco-pending application, Serial No. 685,148, filed September 20, 1957,and to provide a socket utilizing such terminals wherein the exposedportions of the terminals will be separated by a substantial distancefrom one another.

Thus, in general, the objects of this invention are to provide animproved refrigerator light socket of the character described whichoccupies the least useful space in a cabinet interior, is easier toinstall than prior sockets, remains more securely in place, provides abetter seal with the apertured panel means in which it is installed andpermits ready connection of electric conductors thereto.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood thatsuch changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of thephysical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the bestmode so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a group perspective view showing a refrigerator light socketof this invention in disassembled rela- .tionship to a portion of a wallpanel on which the socket Referring now more particularly to theaccompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate like partsthroughout the several views, the numeral 5 designates generally a pairof sheet metal panels defining the interior wall surfaces 6 of arefrigerator or deep freezer cabinet or the like and converging toward ajunction with one another at'the inner corner of the cabinet designatedby 7. The socket of this invention, designated generally by 8, isadapted to be mounted in the corner portion of the wall, as best seen inFigure 2, where the socket and the light bulb (not shown) which itcarries will occupy what is usually the least useful space in thecabinet and will thus be out of the way.

The socket of this invention comprises generally a cupshaped metal shell9 in which the base of a light bulb is adapted to be received and whichis imbedded in a resiliently flexible insulating body ll) of rubber,neoprene or the like. The shell is preferably molded into the body andthe body has a downwardly projecting annular lip 12 extending around andbeneath the mouth of the shell, which engages the glass bulb of a lamphaving its base screwed into the shell, to seal moisture out of theshell. It is a distinguishing feature of the socket body of thisinvention that two of its sides 13 are fiat and are adapted to flatwiseoverlie the'inner faces 6 of the corner defining wall panels upon whichthe socket is mounted. These other terminal.

each other, which angle, of course, corresponds accurately to theincluded angle between the inner surfaces of the panels on which thesocket is mounted. Thus the angle between the flat sides 13 of the bodywill normally be a right angle, disposing the flat sides of the bodyperpendicular to one another and with their surfaces parallel to theaxis of the shell, but it will be understood that any other desiredangle between these surfaces may be selected, depending upon the anglebetween inner surfaces at the corner 7 in which the socket is mounted.

Projecting from the medial portion of each of the fiat surfaces 13 is aprotuberant button-like securement member 15 which is integral with thebody and formed 'of the same resiliently flexible insulating material.Each of the securement members is adapted to engage in a closely fittinghole 17 in the wall panel and to snugly project through the same to holdthe socket in place, as best seen in Figure 2, with the fiat surfaces 13of the body snugly flatwise overlying the interior surfaces of thepanels at the corner 7.

Preferably each securement member has an enlarged head 19 at its outerend, providing small shoulders 20 which face the adjacent fiat surface13 of the body and are spaced therefrom by a distance equal to thethickness of the panel. The head on each securement member is of coursereadily deformable because of its resiliency, and can therefore passeasily through the hole 17 in the panel during installation of thesocket, although the shoulders 20 resist axial displacement of thesecurement member out of the hole. While desirable, the enlarged headson the securement members are not absolutely necessary, particularlyWhere the axes of the securement members are disposed at, or nearly at,right angles to one another, since in that case each securement memberresists axial withdrawl of the other from its hole. For this reason theshoulders 20 may be relatively small and need not extend completelyaround the securement member. The socket of this inventionadvantageously utilizes the electrical terminals disclosed in myaforesaidcopending application. The center terminal of the shell maycomprise a rivet 22 to which is pivotally secured an elongated strip 24of conductive metal which extends through the body of the socket, as at25, and axially through one of the securement members, as at 26, saidstrips being bent to a slight S-shape along its length to dispose it inthis fashion. A projecting end portion 27 of the metal strip provides amale terminal connectable with a suitable female connector.

Similarly, a strip 29 of conductive metal, spot welded or otherwisesecured to the side wall 30 of the shell, extends axially through theother securement member, as at 61, and projects therebeyond, as at 32,to provide the Since'the terminals 27 and 32 project from the rightangularly disposed securement members they are spaced apart asubstantial distance, and in fact are located around the outside ofcorner 7 from one another. This positional relationship between theterminals assures against the possibility of short circuiting, not onlyas between the terminals themselves but also the external conductors(not shown) whichare connected to the terminals. Obviously, theseconductors may be con- .protuberances has an integral resilientlydeformable ennected to the terminals in any conventional manner, as

and slipped onto the terminals; and, if desired, the connectors may beenclosed in rubber cups which might even fit over the retaining members.

From the foregoing description, taken together with the accompanyingdrawing, it will be apparent that this invention provides an improvedlight bulb socket for refrigerator and freezer cabinets and the likewhich may be easily installed in a corner of a cabinet, in What isotherwise substantially unuseable space, and which affords an unusuallysecure mounting and a good seal between its body and the panel-on whichit is mounted, and that the electrical terminals of the socket of thisinvention are well separated from one another to 'avoid. the possibilityof short circuiting.

What is claimed as my invention is:

1. An electric light socket for installation in the interior of arefrigerator cabinet, comprising: a socket body of resilientlydeformableinsulating material having a pair of substantially fiat facesdisposed at an angle to one another such that their planes intersect,said flat faces being adapted to flatwise overlie the inner surfaces ofa pair of adjacent refrigerator Wall panels at a corner thereof; anintegral resiliently deformable protuberant retaining member projectingfrom the medial portion of each of said flat faces on the body, with itsaxis substantially normal to the face from which it protrudes, saidretaining members being engageable, by reason of their resilience andthe resilience of the body, in holes in said adjacent refrigerator wallpanels and being cooperable with one another and with the panels, byreason of the angular disposition .of their axes, to hold the socketbody in place with its flatfaces overlying marginal edge portions of thepanels around the holes therein, to provide a seal between the socketbody and the panel; said socket body also having a well therein openingto an outer surface other than said received in the well; and terminalsfor said contacts extending therefrom members.

, 2. The light socket of claim 1 wherein each of said through saidprotuberant retaining larged head atits outer end providing a shoulderspaced from and opposing said flat face of the body and engageable withthe surface of a wall panel remote from that which the flat face of thebody overlies to preclude dis placement of the protuberance through thehole in the UNITED STATES PATENTS Weiant June 16, 1936 2,073,512 DeReamer Mar. 9, 1937 2,711,522 Goodwin June 21, 1955 2,740,097 Edelman etal Mar. 27, 1956 2,802,958 Curley Aug. 13, 1957 Batcheller Sept. 3, 1957New

